We will add a brief introduction here about the LSTA project with a link to all the lessons.
Subject and Grade Level: Life Science and Human Biology (Nutrition Unit), 6th Grade
Objectives:
Students will gain a basic understanding of the USDA food pyramid by researching a food product and comparing the ingredients to the Food Pyramid to determine if the product can be part of a healthy diet.
Students will understand the purpose of commercials and that media messages can distort or twist the facts in order to sell a product by using advertising tools to analyze commercials.
Students will develop critical thinking skills by analyzing and evaluating media messages and by selecting a healthy food and advertising strategy to create an advertisement that will promote that foo
Materials:
Video clips of commercials. One way to do this is to burn the whole folder of commercials onto several CD's. Pass one CD out to each student group.
Graphic organizer with advertising strategies
3 x 5 index cards and markers
Teacher key to the commercials
video flip cameras
Time Needed:
10 sessions
Lesson Steps: Session One 1) Introduce advertising strategies. Explain each strategy we will examine. 2) Ask students to think about the commercials they have seen on TV. Do any of them use the strategies we are examining? Challenge students to look for the use of these strategies when they view TV for the next several days. 3) Have students write the name or paste a picture to represent the strategy on each of six index cards. These will be used as a group activity so students can vote individually about which strategy the commercial contains.
Session Two and Three 4) Explain to students that they will be viewing video clips to illustrate each advertising strategy. At the end of each clip, they will use an index card to vote for the advertising strategy they think is being used in the commercial. Instruct students to hold their cards so their classmates can't view their card when they vote. The purpose of the index cards is to get all students involved in analyzing the commercials. When they vote, have students hold their card high up in the air so the instructor can get instant feedback.
5) Use a video clip to illustrate each strategy. Use this procedure:
view the clip in its entirety.
view the clip without the sound (movie, no sound)
view the clip without the video (sound only)
view the clip once again in its entirety
Videos we used to illustrate the strategy:
Bandwagon strategy -"Beef, It's What's for Dinner"
Having fun strategy -"Airheads"
Snob Appeal (Celebrity Endorsement) Strategy - "Subway, Michael Phelps"
Sex appeal (Pretty Appeal) Strategy-" Lipton Tea, Hugh Jackman"
Comparison Strategy- "Idaho Potatoes"
Personal Testimony Strategy- "Florida Orange Juice, Take the Day"
6) Have students vote on the strategy that is used. It is common for a commercial to use more than one advertising strategy. 7) Call on students to defend the strategy selected by providing evidence from the commercial. If they can convince us by using evidence from the clip, then we will agree that the strategy is there. If there is little/weak evidence for the strategy, we can't claim the strategy is present. At this point, the discussion should include students and instructors.
Session Four 8) Have students silently think of the number of jelly beans they could eat if given the chance. While holding that number in their mind, have them line up silently from fewest to most jelly beans. Divide students into groups of three by having them count up to seven if there are 21 students in the class (etc. -depends on the number of students in your class).
9) Give each group of students a video to analyze on their own.
Session Five
10) Using the same procedure that the instructor used when analyzing commercial video clips, each group of students will lead the class in analyzing their assigned video. Students should be given as much freedom as possible to lead the class. However, if the discussion results in wrong answers, the instructor should step in to correct the situation.
Session Six
11) Each student group will select a healthy food to create a video advertisement about. They must use one or more advertising strategies in their commercial.
Session Seven and Eight
12) Students will work to create a script about their healthy food. Students must use thumbnails along with a written script to plan their commercial. They must also list all props they will need.
Session Nine
13) Give a short demonstration about how to use the video flip camera. Student groups who are ready can begin to film their script.
Session Ten through Completion
14) After a demonstration about how to use windows moviemaker, will upload their video results to the computer. They will then work to edit their work, including adding sound effects, music, and pictures as necessary.
15) Students groups will present their results to the class. We will generate a discussion about the strategies used in each student created commercial.
For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org
Authors: Loretta Johnson and Drew Deapo
School: Ramsdell Middle School
We will add a brief introduction here about the LSTA project with a link to all the lessons.
Subject and Grade Level: Life Science and Human Biology (Nutrition Unit), 6th Grade
Objectives:
Materials:
Time Needed:
- 10 sessions
Lesson Steps:
Session One
1) Introduce advertising strategies. Explain each strategy we will examine.
2) Ask students to think about the commercials they have seen on TV. Do any of them use the strategies we are examining? Challenge students to look for the use of these strategies when they view TV for the next several days.
3) Have students write the name or paste a picture to represent the strategy on each of six index cards. These will be used as a group activity so students can vote individually about which strategy the commercial contains.
Session Two and Three
4) Explain to students that they will be viewing video clips to illustrate each advertising strategy. At the end of each clip, they will use an index card to vote for the advertising strategy they think is being used in the commercial. Instruct students to hold their cards so their classmates can't view their card when they vote. The purpose of the index cards is to get all students involved in analyzing the commercials. When they vote, have students hold their card high up in the air so the instructor can get instant feedback.
5) Use a video clip to illustrate each strategy.
Use this procedure:
- view the clip in its entirety.
- view the clip without the sound (movie, no sound)
- view the clip without the video (sound only)
- view the clip once again in its entirety
Videos we used to illustrate the strategy:- Bandwagon strategy -"Beef, It's What's for Dinner"
- Having fun strategy -"Airheads"
- Snob Appeal (Celebrity Endorsement) Strategy - "Subway, Michael Phelps"
- Sex appeal (Pretty Appeal) Strategy-" Lipton Tea, Hugh Jackman"
- Comparison Strategy- "Idaho Potatoes"
- Personal Testimony Strategy- "Florida Orange Juice, Take the Day"
6) Have students vote on the strategy that is used. It is common for a commercial to use more than one advertising strategy.7) Call on students to defend the strategy selected by providing evidence from the commercial. If they can convince us by using evidence from the clip, then we will agree that the strategy is there. If there is little/weak evidence for the strategy, we can't claim the strategy is present. At this point, the discussion should include students and instructors.
Session Four
8) Have students silently think of the number of jelly beans they could eat if given the chance. While holding that number in their mind, have them line up silently from fewest to most jelly beans. Divide students into groups of three by having them count up to seven if there are 21 students in the class (etc. -depends on the number of students in your class).
9) Give each group of students a video to analyze on their own.
Session Five
10) Using the same procedure that the instructor used when analyzing commercial video clips, each group of students will lead the class in analyzing their assigned video. Students should be given as much freedom as possible to lead the class. However, if the discussion results in wrong answers, the instructor should step in to correct the situation.
Session Six
11) Each student group will select a healthy food to create a video advertisement about. They must use one or more advertising strategies in their commercial.
Session Seven and Eight
12) Students will work to create a script about their healthy food. Students must use thumbnails along with a written script to plan their commercial. They must also list all props they will need.
Session Nine
13) Give a short demonstration about how to use the video flip camera. Student groups who are ready can begin to film their script.
Session Ten through Completion
14) After a demonstration about how to use windows moviemaker, will upload their video results to the computer. They will then work to edit their work, including adding sound effects, music, and pictures as necessary.
15) Students groups will present their results to the class. We will generate a discussion about the strategies used in each student created commercial.
For additional free online lessons integrating media literacy and critical thinking into the curriculum, go to www.projectlooksharp.org